Raif

Raif, Raaif, sometimes Raef (Arabic: <big>رَائِف</big> rā’if) is an Arabic male given name or used as a surname meaning "kind, compassionate, affectionate, benign" or "sympathetic, merciful".

The name comes from the Arabic verb ra’afa (<big>رَأَفَ</big>) "to have compassion for, have mercy upon, be merciful toward" and stems from the noun ra’ūf or rawūf (<big>رَؤُوفَ</big>) which is also used as the male given name Rauf. Other written variants are Ra'ef, Rayif or Raefe. Notable people with the name include:

Given name

• Raif Badawi (born 1984), Saudi writer, dissident and activist
• Raif Denktaş (1951–1985), Turkish Cypriot composer, politician, academic, journalist and writer
• Raif Dizdarević (born 1926), Bosnian politician
• Raif Husić (born 1996), German footballer
• Raif Khoury (1913–1967), Lebanese writer
• Raif Muradov (born 1993), Bulgarian footballer

Surname

• Samira Raif (born 1974), Moroccan long-distance runner

See also

• Rafe (name)